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Anthony Davis out indefinitely because of stress injury in right foot

Injured Lakers forward Anthony Davis, right, chats with LeBron James on the bench during the first half Friday.
Injured Lakers forward Anthony Davis, right, chats with LeBron James on the bench during the first half Friday against the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Lakers forward Anthony Davis has a stress injury in his right foot and will be out indefinitely, the team announced Friday.

The Lakers said that Davis received extensive consultation with the team’s physicians and outside specialists to determine the injury.

It appeared as if Davis was injured in the first quarter of a win over the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on Dec. 16, when he clipped the outside of his foot against the inside of Denver center Nikola Jokic’s leg on a reverse layup. Davis continued to play throughout the first half, but he stayed in the locker room at halftime and hasn’t played since.

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Before Anthony Davis was injured, he offered the Lakers front office a reason to gamble on this team. That means trading their 2027 and 2029 picks now.

When the Lakers play Charlotte on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, Davis will have missed his fourth consecutive game.

Davis had been playing at an elite level this season, having his name mentioned in MVP conversations for averaging 27.4 points per game (11th best in the NBA), 12.1 rebounds (third) and 2.1 blocked shots (third ).

Davis had missed six games this season, one because of non-COVID illness.

Thomas Bryant has started at center in place of Davis and has fared well.

The outlook seemed bleak for the Lakers after Anthony Davis’ foot injury Friday night, but Thomas Bryant’s strong play helped secure a win over the Wizards.

In his last three starts, Bryant has averaged 16.3 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 55.8% from the field and 66.6% from three-point range.

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The team released the following statement regarding the injury: “After extensive consultation with Lakers team physicians and outside specialists, it has been determined that Anthony Davis has a stress injury in his right foot. Davis will be out indefinitely. Further updates will be provided when appropriate.”

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